Field Trips: Alexander Ramsey House

Built for Minnesota’s first territorial governor, Alexander Ramsey, this residence—one of the nation’s best-preserved Victorian homes— will immerse you in 1870s life and the spirit of the times.

Core experience

Life in the Ramsey House

Grades K-3
Students and teachers can discover what life was like in the late 1800s in the mansion of politician Alexander Ramsey. This inquiry-based tour will feature stories from both the Ramsey family and their domestic employees, with an emphasis on comparing and contrasting past and present.

Power and Politics

Grades 4-12
In a visit to the home of Minnesota’s most prominent 19th century politician, students will be challenged to explore how the decisions of Ramsey and others impacted Minnesotans of all backgrounds. Guided tours of this fully-furnished Victorian mansion will use stories and artifacts from the Ramsey family and their contemporaries to stimulate critical thinking about how Minnesota came to be the way it is today.